LIVINGSTON 2 CELTIC 4: BENJI THE HERO – AT THE DOUBLE

LIVINGSTON 2 CELTIC 4 

A DOUBLE SALVO from belter Benjamin Nygren downed stubborn Livingston in West Lothian this afternoon – and shot Celtic to just three points behind Hearts with a game in hand.

In another dramatic Premiership afternoon, the league leaders collapsed 3-2 to Hibs in the Edinburgh derby at Easter Road just before the champions faced David Martindale’s side on their notorious plastic pitch.

It was a rollercoaster occasion as Wilfried Nancy’s men twice had to battle back to win after gifting goals to aggressive opposition.

Yang Hyun-jun and Arne Engels, with a crisply-taken penalty-kick, were the other marksmen on an afternoon when the Parkhead men were far from convincing. A second successive win will surely not paper over the cracks.

EAR WE GO…Benjamin Nygren races away after netting Celtic’s first goal with Kieran Tierney adding his congratulations at Livingston.

It was all remarkable stuff right from the off when some awful defending from the visitors allowed Livi to net twice within eight minutes.

Thankfully, the champions managed to fight back on both occasions to go in 4-2 ahead at the interval, but the goals gifted to the Premiership outfit must be setting off alarm bells.

Inside three minutes, Martindale’s strugglers were ahead as they seized upon a loose crossfield pass from Kieran Tierney. They broke at pace on the left, Yang struggled to get into position and the ball was moved onto Cristian Montano who took full advantage of Auston Trusty’s hesitancy to lash a left-foot drive into the roof of the net.

Celtic found an instant reply with the equaliser in the sixth minute when Daizen Maeda nodded down an Engels right-wing corner-kick and Nygren’s timing at the far post was perfection as he turned the ball home from close range.

Amazingly, the hosts took the lead again just a couple of minutes later. On this occasion, it was Luke McCowan who inadvertently created the opening with a pass out of defence on the left to Maeda.

The Japanese raider slipped as he attempted to take possession and Livi stepped and retrieved the ball, moved it once more to set up the deadly Montano with a shooting chance and he sent a left-foot shot unerringly high into Viljami Sinisalo’s net at his right-hand post.

The Finnish international keeper was making a rare appearance after the non-availability of Kasper Schmeichel and he had been beaten twice in eight minutes.

PICK IT OUT…Yang Hyun-jun forces in No.2.

Once again, thankfully, the Hoops had the answers when, just two minutes later, Nygren sent in a dangerous low ball from the left and Yang persevered for an opening before knocking the ball past Jerome Prior.

It got even better for Nancy’s men in the 19th minute when Nygren lit up the stadium on a grey December afternoon with a wonderful strike.

Tierney picked out the Swede in the box with a low pass from the left and the £1.7million summer arrival took one touch before sweeping an unstoppable left-foot effort into the net off the inside of the far post.

The fourth goal arrival in the 44th minute via a VAR intervention that flagged up a handball from Daniel Finlayson in a packed penalty area.

Engels stepped to whip the ball low into the keeper’s left as Prior took off for his right.

The second-half couldn’t quite match the opening 45 minutes for drama or excitement and there were no further goals.

Celtic sgould have netted a fifth in the 63rd minute when they broke at pace in a 3 v 2 situation, but McCowan took the wrong option with a pass to Yang when Maeda was better placed on his right.

The South Korean was crowded out and the opportunity was gone.

HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Benjamin Nygren, Kieran Tierney and Luke McCowan congratulate Arne Engels after his successful penalty-kick for the fourth goal.

In the 72nd minute, Nancy made a long-awaited double substitutions when he put on Colby Donovan and Reo Hatate for Yang and Nygren and 11 minutes later Paulo Bernardo replaced the ineffective Johnny Kenny.

There are many question marks hovering over this Celtic team. One thing is absolutely certain – the champions urgently require a new striker in the January window.

There is absolutely no doubt about that if the champions hope to go on and win their fifth successive title.

TEAM; Sinisalo; Ralston, Trusty, Tierney; McCowan, Nygren (sub: Hatate 72), McGregor, Engels; Yang (sub: Donovan 72), Kenny (sub: Bernardo 83), Maeda.